The FSM for my 1980 A833 OD transmission says ATF is the fluid of choice, but it is dripping from my reverse lever opening (not a lot, about a 7 inch spot over a week) Is there something I can put in the transmission to stop the leak? If I went to Hypoid 90 would it stop leaking? Can I mix ATF and 90 wt. ?

bwhitejr

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'72 Duster (Performance 360)
'83 Ramcharger (Performance 318)
'80 TrailDuster (360)
'80 D-150 Truck (See Below)
CompCams 252S, Holley 390cfm, Offy manifold
Ported, Polished and Gasket Matched
P4286813 Springs,0.040 Overbore,
0.090 Shaved Head

75/90 wt is standard replacement fluid wether it will keep it from leaking,who knows.Drain the ATF then replace with the hypoid,maybe try some 75/90 syn stuff works good in mine.As far as it leaking,don't know,might need some attention and I'm not the one to ask on that.Somebody here will know and jump in sooner or later

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83 B-150 slant 6,4 speed. 79 B-300 360 pathfinder 4x4. 74 W-300 318 4x4 git-r-done 80 B-100 sl6,4speed

There should be a seal on the shaft, if it is leaking, then it's very possible that the seal just needs replacement.

The only issue you will run into with mixing oils is the ability to shift from gear to gear. With the thicker oil/oil mix in there, the synchronizer rings will have a harder time cutting through the oil to bite the metal, so your shifts will take a bit longer. Depending on how much you mix in, you may not notice.

I don't think putting thicker oil in there will help much, but it can't hurt to try.

~THOR~

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1984 D100 Shorty Custom
Certified Auto Appraiser - RevItUp Classic Appraisals
President - Cherry City Bombers CC
Part of Tyrde-Browne Racing

The reverse lever o-ring is probably the single worst seal to replace in an A833. You can put gear oil in, but how much it reduces the puddle is questionable. I do not like GL-5 (hypoid) gear oil in the A833. It's too slippery and negatively affects syncro operation especially in cold weather. Switching to Redline MT-90 improved the shifting of my last A833 remarkably.

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Joshua

I like 20W50 in mine. Or straight 60 Harley Davidon Oil.

But that's me and I have that stuff around.

sb

Be careful there... Most 75W90 gear lubes on the market today are either GL-4 or GL-5 rated, and the synchronizers in some old transmissions are not compatible with the sulfur additives in GL-4 and GL-5 oils. I have to fess up that I'm not sure if the A-833 is one of those or not, but given that it originally shipped with ATF, it definitely might be. I've been through this on My Jeep, which specifically requires API GL-3 fluid for its (POS japanese) AX-15 5-speed. GL-3 is pretty much unobtainium anymore, and so Chrysler now recommends 10w30 engine oil in AX-15s. Actually, only 3 years of AX-15 have that problem- 97-99. In 2000 Chrysler ditched the AX in favor of the much better NV3550. But I digress.

There are other options too: Redline MTL, overpriced as it is, is *great* in A-833s (I do know that) and has no issue with synchros. Royal Purple Synchromax is another good choice if you want to go for high-end (and kinda high dollar) fluids specifically made for manual transmissions.

If it were my car, I'd fix the leak and *then* go with Synchromax or MTL. You definitely don't want to be putting expensive fluids in a leaking tranny, but then you don't want to trash your synchros with the wrong oil, no matter how cheap it is.

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Does fixing the leak involve pulling the cover off? I may have the same issue, if I ever get the Duster back on the road!

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'72 Duster 198 stock cam, 3:23's Hookers on jack stands for 8 years in the driveway
'79 Maxivan 360 Offy Qjet Comp RV cam/rusting in the driveway.
93 D350 160HP Cummins Auto Dually Clubcab needs a injector pump
2005 Golden Couch Buick

Fixing the reverse lever o-ring requires removing the extension housing and main shaft of the A833. Then you have to remove the reverse slider gear shaft which is no fun at all.

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Joshua

If using straight 90wt, GL-4 bottles labelled "Manual Transmission" are OK. If it says 'hypoid' it won't work and cause some skipped shifts/bad synchro action. There are a few magazine editors that have said that non-detergented straight 30 wt is OK too. (I just use 90wt GL-4 from NAPA, like my relatives used in their cars...next box I'll probably try MTL which I hear might keep the stir stick from being stiff at -20 degrees during the winter...).

-D.Idiot

I put some Mobil1 in mine. Just need to get it on the road. Of course I have no idea what kind of shape the tranny is in either!

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'72 Duster 198 stock cam, 3:23's Hookers on jack stands for 8 years in the driveway
'79 Maxivan 360 Offy Qjet Comp RV cam/rusting in the driveway.
93 D350 160HP Cummins Auto Dually Clubcab needs a injector pump
2005 Golden Couch Buick

I'll bump this back up for another question. I had brand "V" syn 75/90 in my 833 before the rebuild and it worked ok in a 200k trans.After rebuild put new "V" back in and now not so good,lota double clutching slow shifting going on. So,will the Redline MTL/MT-90 improve this? or should I just go back to ATF? Also, is there really that much difference between the two syn gear oils? Hate to drop another 40-50 bucks for nothing.Thanks

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83 B-150 slant 6,4 speed. 79 B-300 360 pathfinder 4x4. 74 W-300 318 4x4 git-r-done 80 B-100 sl6,4speed